


Two of a Kind

by posingasme



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, M/M, Omega Castiel, Omega Sam, Pack Wars Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-02 11:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4057519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/posingasme/pseuds/posingasme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three pups-two brothers and a stray foster-are raised together. Dean is an incorrigible alpha pup, and Sam and Castiel are the two omegas who run circles around him. Dean loves them both as brothers, but learns as they grow older that they love one another as more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Little Omega, Big Omega

**Author's Note:**

> Response to a prompt asking for omega!Castiel and omega!Sam within the PackWars verse. This is an AU of an AU, so...Enjoy?

There is a world, far away, in which shifters live, not quite among the humans, but just outside their daily periphery. There are many such worlds, and this is just one which includes a pair of familiar faces, whose souls seemed destined to pull toward one another no matter the circumstances of their lives. For most humans in this world, these wolves are the monsters of the night, prowling the forests, but many know that there are those who live in the cities, expatriates of their family packs, existing as humans. In some of the darker parts of these cities, there are still illegal alpha fights, and humans get a sick pleasure from gambling upon the outcome of this brutal, often lethal, sport.

In this world, nearly every shifter wolf is born under one of three classifications.

Females tend to be somewhat smaller than the alphas in their packs. Upon mating with an alpha, especially in the case of a permanent blood mating which secures them together for life, the female may give birth to pups, and protect them in a den until they are old enough to be on their own. Female personalities and temperaments vary widely, depending upon the pack culture and the individual.

Alphas are fertile males who eventually seek to breed with a female. Alphas may also look for comfort and companionship, both emotional and sexual, from an omega male, especially when the alpha’s female is busy with pups or if the alpha has lost his blood mate. In some cases, the omega becomes a caretaker for the pups in the family, and often becomes a companion to the female as well.

Omegas are sterile males. They do not have the ability to produce offspring, and so litters of multiple omegas are rare. The average omega will be smaller and less aggressive than the average alpha. Their muscle tends to be more lean, and they typically display a higher level of intellect and instinctual wisdom. They are very often the teachers of the pack, the confidants and advisors of pack leaders. Frequently, the omegas are charged with keeping the historic record of the pack, and to teach the next generation of pups their heritage.

There was a pack not long ago where a set of pups were born to a Mary Winchester who was soon to be grieving the loss of her blood mate, the high alpha. A marauder entered the camp at night while most of the pack was out hunting, intent upon stealing away Mary’s pups, and any others they could find. Her blood mate John arrived just in time to foil the plan, but several pups were lost, and John took a fatal injury. Mary, and John’s omega brother Bobby, finished off the attacker, killing the yellow-eyed cur, but then wept together at the loss of their high alpha. Bobby was not bonded, and John had never taken an omega companion, so they were closer than many brothers would naturally be, and Mary was certain Bobby felt the loss as keenly as she.

Two pups remained, a furry firecracker called Dean and a shy little omega called Sam.

At the death of the high alpha, Mary watched her aging father come out of retirement, until a younger alpha could be vetted. Samuel came to Mary a week after she had lost her mate, and spoke to her privately, away from Bobby, who seemed annoyed at this.

“We’ve found and killed every alpha left under Azazel’s name. But they had several stolen pups with them, stolen from who knows what pack out there. Most didn’t live through the melee, but this one…”

A tiny, blue eyed omega looked up at Mary from inside Samuel’s jacket. She frowned. “What are you doing?”

“He’s alone, Mary. And the little guy…you wouldn’t believe how he fought to live. Reminded me of your omega, Mary. Fierce little thing. I wouldn’t bring him in, except…except it seems a shame just to let exposure or some critter get him. We’ve lost a lot this week, Mary, but this thing…He’s lost everything. He’s scrawny, I know. But he smells like…”

“Like family,” Mary sighed.

Samuel shrugged. “If you don’t want him, send him into the woods. Something out there will take him out. But think about it before you do.”

She nodded and, as Samuel walked away, she and the little omega stared one another down. She gave another deep sigh. “Well, if you can keep out of Bobby’s way, and you don’t whine too much, you can live here till you’re a little older, I guess. You can’t replace my babies. You’re not one of my babies. You understand?”

The scrap of black fur with blue eyes tilted its head at her.

Mary expected him to whimper, but he did not. She smiled finally, a grim, mournful smile. “You know, I had a name picked for a second omega. Just in case. For two omegas to live long enough to earn a name in their first moon is rare. My little Sam is named for my father. But you…The name I didn’t get to use, and now that John is gone…” Her breath caught in her throat, and she pushed through it. “Well, we may as well use it now, don’t you think? Castiel.” Finally, a real smile came to her face, and a tear slipped down her cheek. “Too big a name for such a tiny omega, hm? Samuel is too big a name for my baby too. He’s Sam. We’ll call you Cas.”

Castiel gave a tiny yip, and curled into a ball at her feet, and immediately fell fast asleep.

Mary laughed quietly, and lifted the beast to hold him against her chest. “You can stay for a while.”

***

Dean shoved the littler of the two omegas over onto the bigger. That’s how he thought of them in general, at least before he was truly awake. The little scrappy one and the big snarky one often ganged up on him when he wanted to sleep longer.

“Dean!” Sam whined. “Would you get up already?”

“No,” he snapped. But that was that. He had already shifted so he could speak, so he may as well get up now. “Fenris Lycan, Sammy. Alphas need more sleep! Didn’t you know that?”

He could practically hear the two of them rolling their eyes. “No,” Castiel said dryly. “They don’t. Lazy alphas need more sleep. Regular ones do just fine waking up at a reasonable time.”

Dean’s eyes squeezed tightly shut. “I’m not listening.”

A set of hands was shaking him mercilessly.

 “Which one are you?”

“What?” Sam demanded. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Big one. Leave me alone, big one.”

At last, Bobby’s voice made his neck fur stand on end. “Get out of the bedroll, princess! You think because your grandpa is high alpha you can just lie around all night and they’ll bring the fresh kills to you?”

There was a beat of silence, then Dean was up in a flash, grabbing the robe Sam was holding out for him. “Fenris, Sam, why didn’t you say so! It’s our hunt! We’re hunting tonight!”

Blue eyes were staring at him in wonder. “You curse more than any grown wolf I know.”

“Oh, shove it, Cas. Fenris ain’t a curse. It’s a dog.”

Castiel’s eyes went wide now, and his mouth dropped open. “Uncle Bobby says that’s blaspheming. Isn’t that blaspheming, Uncle Bobby?”

Bobby shrugged. “I guess it is. Watch your language, kid.”

“Oh, you say it all the time, old man.”

“Don’t do as I do, do as I tell you.”

Sam burst into laughter. “Can we all just go? Who cares about Dean? Leave him! Come on, Cas! I’m going to be the best nose in the hunt!”

Bobby was growling something behind them, but Dean’s long legs had him past even Sam’s before words could catch him. Sam had the best nose, and that was a fact. But Dean could run like nobody else, and Samuel had promised him a chase.

Castiel sauntered up next to them when Dean and Sam were forced to wait outside Fred’s tent. “No reason to run,” he smirked. “You know Fred. He’s not going to leave without us. Well, maybe without Dean. But he likes me and Sam.”

Dean gave him a snarl, but he just laughed at him.

It was the most beautiful night Dean could ever remember. His first true hunt with the pack! Fred had lead them with three of his best hunters, who had been kind enough to let the older pups track the scent. The three of them were an impressive team, considering their lack of experience. Sam had caught a deer’s scent in an instant, tracked it admirably, Dean had run it down, and he and Castiel had taken it to the ground together. They did not have much combined weight to them, even with Sam’s added in, but it was enough. Sam and Castiel backed away once the deer was securely on the ground, but Dean continued growling in anticipation until he was cuffed on the back of the head by Travis. Fred was senior alpha here. The kill belonged to him. Dean glowered at Travis sulkily until the adrenaline and excitement had taken over him again. All it took was one playful shove from Castiel, and the three pups were wrestling on the ground, reenacting their hunt over and over again. Poor Sam was always the deer.

Once the hunting party was sated, the real work began. Fred and his hunters shifted to place the new meat on a makeshift sledge to haul back to camp. Fred and Sam scouted ahead, and Travis lead the others while pulling his share of the sledge weight. Dean and Castiel brought up the rear, and took their boy forms so they could talk along the way.

“That was amazing,” Dean said for the hundredth time, breathing in the smell of a victorious hunt.

 Castiel was grinning at him. “I was amazing. You were a howler.”

“Shut up!”

The omega laughed and looked down at his feet as they walked. “Sam was amazing,” he sighed happily.

Dean glanced at him. “Yeah. Okay. We can agree on that.”

A soft pink filled the smaller wolf’s face, one that had not even been there after all the running. “Sam is…amazing.”

“Yeah. You said that.”

“Do you think when we’re all older, you’ll want an omega?”

The alpha wrinkled his nose. “No. Probably not. Why? You don’t want to be my omega, do you? That’s too weird.”

“No. I want to be Sam’s omega.”

Dean missed a step and turned to stare at Castiel as he tried to find his footing again. “What? Wait. It doesn’t work like that.”

“It can. I asked Uncle Bobby.”

“Uncle Bobby doesn’t know everything.”

“Uncle Bobby knows most things.”  

And Dean really could not argue with that. “Okay, but what if someone else wants Sam? That new wolf, the one older than us, I think he might want Sam.”

“So? Sam wants me.”

This time, Dean’s eyebrows shot up. “What makes you say that?”

“I just know.”

“Dude, you’re like brothers.”

“No,” Castiel said quietly. “Mary told me that first thing. I’m not one of her pups.”

“First thing?”

He nodded, staring down at the ground again. “First day. Samuel brought me to the camp, and gave me to Mary. Mary said I could stay for a while, but I wasn’t one of hers.”

Dean flinched. “Dude, I don’t even know how you can remember that. How do you remember everything that ever happens ever?”

“I just do.”

“You’re going to be the best scribe the pack ever had.”

“Yes. I am.”

He sighed, and breathed in the smells around him, identifying his brother ahead where he couldn’t be seen. “You’re still like our brother. I don’t care what Mom told you. That was forever ago.”

“It doesn’t matter. I want to be Sam’s omega. Are you going to help me or not?”

“Why Sam? Isn’t there a pup our age, some alpha that you-"

“No,” Castiel said firmly. “I’m meant to be Sam’s omega. He’s meant to be my bond.”

Dean was quiet for a long while, mulling it all over in his head. At last, just as they reached the camp, he looked at his friend. “Okay. If that’s what Sam wants. Bobby really said it was all right?”

“Bobby said it was all right. Said as long as we’re contributing to the pack, nobody’s going to try to tell us who we can and can’t bond. Not in this family.”

“What’s that mean? Other packs aren’t like that?”

“I guess not.”

He nodded and scratched at his freckled face. “Okay. If Sam wants that, I’ll help you. You want me to tell Mom, don’t you?”

Castiel gave him a weak smile.

“Awesome. Okay. Not now. But when it comes up, I’ll take care of it. For now, let’s just enjoy our hunt.”

The way Castiel’s eyes lit up in contentment made Dean smile. So his brother and his best friend were going to be bonded. Certainly could be worse.


	2. Roles to Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the pups become adult wolves, they contemplate their lives to come.

The pups grew tall and strong, until they towered over the rest of the pack in many ways. Every set of eyes watched them when they walked through camp. Dean was often half a step ahead of the other two, and Sam's sheer height would have made him stand out amongst any shifters. Castiel was quieter than the brothers, but his eyes were filled with such sharp intelligence that it was clear he caught every detail in his vicinity.

The brain, the muscle and the heart, some had called them, though no one could definitively agree on who was which. Dean was wickedly smart for an alpha, and Sam and Castiel were each impressive fighters in spite of their nebbish habits and their designation as omegas. And the loyalty shared among the three was unbreakable. It was never healthy to try to separate them.

As every young female and most young omegas in the pack began competing for Dean's affection, Sam and Castiel had no shortage of interest from alphas. Dean loved the attention, but declined to attach himself to anyone for longer than a few mutually enjoyable romps. Sam politely declined any invitations of company from alphas. Castiel growled audibly at any who came near enough to sniff him, leaving no doubt about his disinterest.

Bobby took Castiel under his paw, and taught him everything he would need to become the new pack scribe. Sam beamed at him when it became official. It had made Castiel's stomach warm to note that Sam was as proud of him for being tapped as pack scribe as he was that Dean was clearly being groomed to be high alpha.

As for Sam himself, he spent days, when he should have been sleeping, wondering what his contribution to the camp would be. His only distinguishing qualities, so far as he could tell, were his height and his nose. He was an excellent tracker. But what was his role?

Castiel felt his restlessness one dark, dreary day while rain poured down on the tent around them. He yawned, and twisted into a long stretch into his two legged form. "Why are you awake, Sam?" he whispered.

Sam smiled at him. "Sorry."

The other wolf turned so that they faced one another, eliciting a snore from Dean. Castiel waited until the alpha's breathing normalized, then spoke again. "Don't be sorry, Sam. Did you have a nightmare?"

"No. Not tonight. You always ask that."

"I don't like it when you have nightmares, Sam," he said simply.

He snorted. "Neither do I. But no. I just..."

"Can't turn off your brain?"

Sam nodded. Castiel always understood. "It's nice for you. Knowing you're going to be pack scribe."

"I've always known I'm going to be pack scribe."

"Yeah," responded Sam. "I know. Must be nice."

The blue eyes narrowed. "Sam, what are you worried about?"

"I just wish I knew...you and Dean are going to be important one day. Really, really soon. I mean-"

Dean sighed heavily. "Shut up, Sammy," he grumbled.

The omegas looked at him. He clearly was not really awake, but had shifted just to hiss at his brother.

Castiel shoved Dean over and stood. He gestured to Sam to follow him from the tent.

Then Castiel held out Sam's robe. The larger wolf reached out to accept it, but Castiel silently insisted on holding it for him to thread his arms through, just as an omega often did for his alpha. It was odd behavior between omegas, but Castiel was often odd, and he sometimes got into a mood where he behaved as he should, but toward a wolf that he shouldn't. Like Sam. Always Sam, in fact.

Sam slipped into his robe awkwardly, then followed him from the tent into the drizzle. He blinked against what little sun could be seen through the dark clouds.

Castiel took hold of his hand and pulled him toward the tent nearby where he apprenticed under Bobby. This tent functioned as the pack's classroom, its library, its archives and its museum. It was the best protected from weather, and was directly in the center of the pack, in the line of sight of four of the guard stands. It was sacred, as was everything in it.

Of course, Castiel had told Sam the secret. Bobby was a paranoid bastard, and he had copies of everything in multiple locations, including in a storage unit in the human city, and in a bunch of locked trunks buried under the bedroll of Ash Harvelle, the scribe for their splinter pack to the east.

Once inside the archives, Sam and Castiel shook the rainwater off themselves and settled into their favorite places. Being the best friend of the future scribe came with the privilege of being allowed entrance into this place anytime they wanted, so it had become their sanctuary.

Once they were comfortable on the floor mats, Castiel put his arms behind his head and asked, "Why are you worried about that?" as though they had not even paused the conversation.

Sam smiled up at the tent above them. Castiel always did that. He always picked up exactly where they had left off. Probably, it had something to do with his uncanny memory, which was as infamous as Sam's nose. Once, Castiel had gone on a four day trip to the Harvelle camp with Bobby, and when he had returned, he had hugged Sam happily, then immediately added to the last conversation they had been engaged in before he had left. The blue eyed omega was strange, no doubt. But he was a wonderful sort of strange, and Sam liked it.

"I'm not worried about it, I guess. Just...wondering. When you and Dean are...It isn't going to be long now. Grandpa Campbell is just waiting for the right moon to elevate Dean."

Castiel glanced at him. "You think so? I thought he was still thinking of Christian too."

He shook his head. "I don't think Samuel has truly considered Christian or any of the other true Campbells in a long time. For appearances, maybe."

"Samuel and Dean snarl more than they talk."

"Maybe. But he still knows Dean's the best choice. It's why he hasn't bothered with changing the pack name back to Campbell in all these years. He says it's in tribute to John, but..."

"He never liked John."

Sam frowned. "What?"

"Your grandfather. He never liked John. In the beginning, just after John died, he used to fight with Mary about how she remembered your father."

He had long since given up being surprised by Castiel's memory or doubtful of his facts. "They argued?"

"She cuffed him once," Castiel murmured.

"Lycan," Sam swore. "Imagine cuffing Grandpa Campbell."

Castiel grimaced. "I'm quite certain Dean imagines it all the time. In any case, he kept the name because he was technically retired as high alpha. Your father had taken his authority in a ritual posturing, and Samuel had relinquished the pack. But Henry was long dead, and Dean was John's only alpha, and not old enough, so everyone accepted Samuel returning to the high alpha tent so long as it was temporary."

Sam nodded and thought about this for a moment. Castiel's history lessons were always enlightening. Sam tended to use his own intellect toward day to day problem solving, like ways to conserve the pack's supplies and work while off the generators as much as possible, and how to improve the hunts. Castiel was deeply seated in the great events of the pack's past, and it was especially intriguing to Sam because no one really believed Castiel had been born into the Winchester pack at all.

"Well, it may be that Samuel wants to step down before Dean challenges him publicly."

"You think Dean would do that?"

Sam shrugged. "Not yet. He's content to pretend he's still a pup half the time. But in a year or two, I think if Samuel did something he didn't agree with...something Dean thought wasn't in the pack's best interest...I don't know."

Castiel nodded. "He will be a singular high alpha one day. In the meantime, he's a pain in the ass."

He laughed at the serious tone with which Castiel had stated this. "Maybe. But he's got a good heart. And you know he's always thinking of what the pack needs, and how he can help provide it. And he's made a lot of changes already. He isn't going to challenge Samuel now, but when he does, or when Samuel steps back, Dean will already have the loyalty of the whole pack."

"He's still very young."

Sam glanced at him. His friend's eyes were deliberately not meeting his. He suspected they may no longer be talking about Dean. "Doesn't mean he isn't ready," Sam said softly.

"Of course he's ready. He's been preparing his whole life. It's just...an important job. He probably wants to make you proud of him. Doesn't want to let down the pack and especially you. It's an important job. Probably most wolves don't know just how important."

As they had done since they were small, Sam extended his arm out to where he lay on his mat, and Castiel took his hand without looking. The blue gaze was fixed on the tent above them but a small smile ghosted across his lips.

"Probably he wants to make you proud of him," Castiel whispered again.

"And probably he's got nothing to worry about. He's one of the two smartest wolves I know. He's going to make us all proud."

Castiel was quiet. "Even Mary, you know?"

There was an ache in his chest now. "Of course. Mom too."

There was a moment of silence, during which Castiel seemed to shake himself imperceptibly. His voice deepened, hardened. "And why wouldn't Mary be proud of Dean? Everything a mother could want, you and him."

Sam knew better than to bring up the fact that Castiel was one of the family too. It was a fact everyone but the blue eyed omega took for granted. It was the only heated argument Sam and Castiel ever had, and they had it again and again.

"Cas," he said cautiously. "You know, Dean's going to be fine as high alpha one day. And you...you're going to make us all proud as scribe. And you're right. They're both extremely important roles, the future and the past of the pack. And the high alpha and the scribe are meant to work together. Samuel and Bobby don't even like talking to each other. Mom says even Dad and Bobby sometimes couldn't work together. But you and Dean. Pain in one another's ass or not, you'll make a great team."

The smile on Castiel's face was gratifying. He still stared up instead of at his friend, but he seemed to appreciate the words. "You'll find your role too, Sam. Would it be so bad being the best tracker the pack's got?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Fred's a great tracker. So is Mark, and the new guy, Garth, isn't so bad either. I got a good nose, that's all."

"No," Castiel corrected. "You've got a good nose, and you also have the cunning to use it. Except maybe Fred, the others don't have that. Why do you think Fred trains you more than he does anybody? I don't remember the last time he looked at me instead of through me to look at you. Fred's an old wolf, Sam. He doesn't have time to waste on anybody who doesn't have the talent you do."

A warmth flushed Sam's face. "You think so?"

"I do. I think everyone sees it but you. Maybe Dean is your dad's legacy, maybe I'm a poor replacement for Bobby. But you. You're going to keep the whole pack safe and fed. The future and the past don't mean much if we get attacked or go hungry in the present."

Suddenly, Sam was shocked to feel tears burning his eyes.

"You're brave and strong as Dean, smart as me, and you've got patience and discipline like nobody else in the pack has. You're a great hunter, Sam. You're going to be the pack guardian. Every wolf knows it. But if that isn't enough of a role for you, I'm sure you'll find something you want to do. You could do anything, Sam. I just know I'm not the only one who feels safe knowing you're training under old Fred."

The opinion of his best friend, the wolf he loved like none except perhaps Dean himself, meant the world to him. "You...you think Dean feels that way too?"

"I know he does. And Fred is the most senior wolf in the pack. Don't pretend to know better than he does about whether you're good enough to do what he's done for literally longer than anyone can remember."

They spent the next twenty minutes in silence, just listening to the rain and contemplating one another's words of encouragement. Finally, Sam spoke again, very quietly.

"Castiel?"

"Yes, Sam."

"Benny wants to take me for his omega."

There was a long pause, then Castiel's deep voice murmured, "He's a good wolf. Fair hunter, great fighter. And he would cherish you."

For some reason, Sam felt his stomach twisting and his throat tightening. "Yeah. I think so too."

"Good."

"Yeah." They were quiet again for a time, then Sam forced himself to speak. "What about you? You nearly bit the head off the last alpha who showed an interest. Don't you think you want to be bonded one day?"

"Probably not. Dean isn't going to take an omega. I'll just live alone, or maybe..." He seemed to lose his voice for a moment, but coughed and continued. "Bobby stays with his late brother's female, with Mary. When Dean takes a mate, and you're bonded, perhaps I'll be a companion to his mate, like Bobby is for Mary."

"And that's...what you want?"

He heard the soft intake of breath. "That's what I want," Castiel confirmed.

Sam frowned. He swallowed with difficulty. "I think Dean is going to choose Lisa."

"Probably. They're a good match." Castiel's voice sounded hollow. "I think she's just been waiting for him to smarten up, as Bobby would say, and get everything out of his system so he can commit. She's a good wolf. Strong, bright, doesn't let Dean get away with anything, but doesn't keep him from being himself either. It's a good match." He cleared his throat. "And I...I get the feeling she would...not mind my company if Dean asked her to admit me into the family."

"Lisa would love to have you in her den tent," Sam sighed.

Castiel seemed to cringe. "I think...I think I'd like to sleep now, Sam."

Before Sam could respond, Castiel had shifted onto four legs and began padding out into the rain to return to Dean's side. Sam took a jagged breath, and did the same. He found Castiel already ducked under one of Dean's front paws, the way he had slept when he was a small pup.

Sam sighed, and curled up alone a few feet away. He slept very little that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So it's going to be a three chapter fic. Sue me.


	3. Do What's Best for Sam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do what's best for Sam. These are the five simple words that led Castiel's life.

The rain did not stop. The older wolves traded stories, some saying they had never seen a rainy season like this before, and others claiming this was nothing compared to a year back in their puphood. The younger adults worried more about keeping supplies and bedrolls dry and dens with small pups warm. The older pups concerned themselves with finding puddles and never bothering to shift onto two legs since they would just slip anyway, and it was more fun to mud wrestle in their wolves.

Sam laughed at a few of the pups playing nearby, and the sound caught Castiel's attention. "What's funny?" he demanded.

"The little guys rolling in the mud. It's good to see them having so much fun."

"We're having enough trouble keeping the tents clean," Castiel huffed. "Where are their mothers?"

Sam continued folding the tarpaulins to distribute. "Them not playing doesn't help anything. They're going to get messy. They may as well enjoy it."

"What's to enjoy? It's dirty and wet." Castiel himself was terribly miserable. It probably didn't help that his ears had gotten water in them and he was certain he would need an antibiotic. He loathed human medicine. He was grateful it existed. But he didn't have to like it.

"They're just pups, Cas."

"Not all of them," he sighed, hooking a thumb behind him without looking.

Sam lifted his head to see a large gray wolf with bright green eyes barrel through the mud, kicking up water at all the breathless, giggling pups. "Fenris," he sighed. "Dean, we could use some help over here!"

The wolf just grinned at him and did not bother shifting to respond. In a flash, he was off chasing the older pups and letting them bring him down to the ground when they turned on him as a tiny, growling pack. One of the little alphas howled in victory and his friends yipped in delight at Dean's surrender.

"He's going to be disgusting," Castiel grumbled.

Sam chuckled quietly. "Yeah. But they love him for it. These guys are the ones who are going to follow him for years, Cas, whose pups will follow his pups. They're going to remember the days that their high alpha apparent took the time to play with them. And if you look carefully, he's having a blast, but he's also training them. Look at the way he's forcing them to work together as a pack."

Castiel sighed. He handed the tarpaulin in his hands to silent Mark Campbell, then took a step away from the supplies table. "Sam, can we have a break? I need to be dry, just for a few minutes."

He hated the look of sympathy on his friend's face, but at least Sam nodded. "Lisa, can you and Mom take over for a bit? We'll be back in just a little."

"Of course, Sam," Lisa called. "You two okay?"

Mary looked up curiously, and Castiel avoided her eyes.

"Cas is getting sick but instead of admit it, he's just being a whiny little shit. I'm going to take him to the med tent and hold him down while they tranq him or something."

Castiel glowered up at him, and Sam laughed.

"Castiel, if you need anything, let me know," Mary said quietly.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I won't. Need anything, that is. Is there...anything we can do for you? Have they issued you your clean bedroll?"

Mary smiled. "I'm fine, Castiel."

"I'm going to see to your tent anyway," he said, almost to himself. "To make sure it's dry enough for you and Bobby. I worried about you last night, and I don't-"

"Castiel," Mary said again. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself, you know."

He felt his chest tightening. "Of-of course you can, Mary, I just...I just think...It wouldn't be respectful if we didn't watch out for you."

She smiled kindly, and then said exactly what Castiel did not want to hear. "It's all right, Castiel. Dean already checked on my tent this morning."

He nodded, and tried to smile back. "He's a good son," he forced out.

Sam was watching the interaction curiously, and he could feel Lisa's intelligent stare too. Sam took a breath. "Med tent. Stop stalling," he barked.

Castiel did not need further prompting to leave the supplies table. He followed behind his large friend, chiding himself silently. Of course Dean would check on Mary and Bobby. It was his duty as a son to see that his mother and her companion were comfortable and their living space was healthy in this awful weather. Knowing that probably would not prevent Castiel from looking in on their tent himself, but he would not mention it to anyone if he did. His attention to detail was sometimes better than Dean's, after all, and he might find something which had been overlooked. But he would do it when no one else was aware. He did not want to seem as though he were trying to be what Dean was to Mary.

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked quietly as they padded barefoot to the medical tent.

"Nothing. My ears hurt. Seems like I catch an ear infection every rainy season and it turns me growly. I'm sorry."

"No, I mean with Mom."

His stomach felt unsettled. "What about her?" He hoped they were not about to have a new argument. He was already irritable and snappy, and he didn't feel like fighting with Sam and inevitably having to apologize later for something he had said.

"You're always so nervous with her. She's just Mom."

"She's just _your_ mom, Sam.”

He could feel his friend gearing up for an argument.

“Sam, please. I don’t feel well, and I’m not up for it today. Can we not?”

It was obvious Sam was not happy about it, but he frowned and changed the subject. “How long your ears been hurting you?”

“Since the rains started.”

“That’s two weeks ago, Cas. You got to stop ignoring it. You know what you need. You know it isn’t going to go away on its own. Why would you not go get it treated right away?”

He shrugged moodily. “It seems unnatural for wolves to take human medicine.”

This made Sam throw his hands in the air and roll his eyes. “You’re right! Going deaf and dying is far more natural! That doesn’t make it a smarter thing to do!”

Somehow, for the first time all day, Castiel found humor in this. He began to laugh quietly, until at last Sam smiled too.

“Cas, you told me a few days back that you don’t like it when I have nightmares.”

“I don’t.”

“Well, I don’t like it when you let yourself stay sick when there’s an obvious solution. You’re the smartest wolf in the pack. Stop being stupid.”

He smirked. “That sounds like something Bobby would say.”

“Bobby’s a smart wolf too. And so am I.”

“Yes,” Castiel sighed. “You are.”

They walked in silence until they reached the med tent. Sam frowned at the sign on the entrance. “They’re taking a meal. Let’s just go in and wait where it’s dry.”

They pushed their way into the quiet sanitary tent and sat on the cushions on the floor to wait.

“Did you know humans have to pay for their medical care?” Castiel murmured.

Sam looked at him. “Pay what?”

“Money.”

“Why?”

Castiel shrugged. “Because their money is more important to them than other humans.”

“Oh. That’s really awful.”

“Yup. Their medics have to pay for their food too.”

“What? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It’s true. I saw it when I went to the city with Garth. They make the medics pay for their food, so they have to make people pay for their medicine. And not just trade either. They all use plastic cards to make everything work.”

“That’s stupid. They should bring the medic food when they need to have medicine.”

“It isn’t just food. It’s everything. Clothes. Medics have to pay for their own houses.”

Sam frowned. “I think you must have misunderstood.”

“No. Garth explained it all to me. Every individual human has to pay for all their things. So everybody has to require money for everything they do for another human.”  

“They should all just stop doing that.”

Castiel laughed. “Have you ever tried to tell a human he doesn’t need his plastic cards?”

“If they all did it at once, it would work.”

“I don’t think humans are coordinated enough to do that. If they were, they would have already, because the way they do things now is dumb. By nature, they look out for themselves instead of each other. They aren’t pack animals. Some of them work well in family groups, but not like we do.”

“Oh.” Sam thought for a time, then continued. “Benny used to be an alpha fighter in the city. Did you know?”

Castiel cleared his throat. There wasn’t much about Benny he did not know, and he had yet to like anything he had heard. Which wasn’t really fair to Benny at all, since he was a perfectly nice wolf. “No. I didn’t.”

“He says the way humans gambled on him winning or losing in the ring was kind of disgusting. Said it was illegal not because it was dangerous for the fighters but because nobody paid taxes on their winnings. I didn’t understand what that meant, except that it was about the money and not about the danger to the wolves involved.”

“It’s a sad line of work. I’m…I’m glad Benny got out. Most die before they do.”

Sam nodded. He went silent for several minutes, giving Castiel time to feel sorry for himself in a dozen different ways, and even enough time to feel contrite for the self-pity. Then Sam stretched his long legs and arms and rolled his shoulders, and Castiel found it difficult to focus on anything else. “Cas, I haven’t given Benny my answer yet.”

The blue gaze flicked from Sam’s strong arms to his face. “I know. You would have said so.”

“I wanted to ask you again what you think.”

The shorter omega took a deep breath. “Do what’s best for Sam,” he murmured. They were the five words he lived by, the five words which helped him make every decision in his life. Whenever he had a choice to make, the five words came unbidden to his mind, and it guided him to the right choice every time.

His friend frowned. “I don’t know what’s best, Cas. That’s why I’m asking you.”

Castiel lowered his eyes to his own hands. He could do this. He could be the good friend he was supposed to be. He could put aside his own selfishness, his childish dreams, and help Sam make what would be one of the most important decisions of his life. _Do what’s best for Sam_ , his heart pounded out. “Okay. Let’s talk it out. Like we always do. First things first. What’s Mary say, and what’s Dean say?”

Sam was licking his lips, and Castiel felt his gaze lift to watch. “Mom says Benny’s a good choice, but that I should do what I want. That she doesn’t expect anything in particular.” He laughed softly. “I mean, with Dean and Lisa, she’s got everything she wants. It isn’t as though pups are at stake here. She really just wants me to be happy.”

“And Dean?” he choked out hoarsely. He closed his eyes and waited for his heart to break.  

“That’s the thing,” Sam replied. “Dean’s just not…helpful.”

Castiel snorted bitterly. “He rarely is.”

“No, I mean…he keeps saying Benny would be a good choice…”

There it was. Castiel felt as though he had been kicked in the throat. But he forced himself to nod and gave a sick smile. “See?”

Sam shook his head. “No, he says Benny would be a good choice, but I should ask you what you think. Every time I’ve brought it up. I mean, Benny is his best friend.”

Another blow to his throat, and now he could not breathe.  

“Why would he not be pushing me toward Benny if he thinks we’re a good match?”

He could only shrug, and smile weakly.

“Every time I bring it up, he says, go ask Cas. I tell him I want his opinion, both as my brother and friend, and as my future high alpha. He just says the same thing. Go ask Cas.”

Dean was a good wolf. He kept his promises. All that time ago, he had promised to give Castiel his chance, and there it was. Even though they were older, and Dean ran with Benny now instead of Castiel, he remembered promising Castiel his chance. But he was not going to tell Sam Castiel was his better choice, when he clearly didn’t believe that. It was not Dean’s fault Benny was perfect for Sam. It was Castiel’s fault.

“So? I’m asking.”

He gulped in a breath past the blockage in his throat. “I don’t know, Sam. What is it you want? You want an alpha.”

A strange look came over his friend then, and he frowned. “I want a bond.”

Castiel’s head was swimming. It was just as well the medics were about to give him something that would make him sleepy and snarly. He wished they could give him something else as well. A heart transplant perhaps. The humans could do it. Would that take his love for Sam away? Would that make everything stop aching? “Okay. You want an alpha to bond you to him. Of course you do. Most wolves want a bond.”

“You don’t.”

“I never said I didn’t want a bond, Sam,” he confessed quietly. He was afraid he might throw up.

“But you said-"

“I said I wasn’t going to let an alpha bond me to him. There’s no alpha here that I want.”

“But you could go to the city or maybe Harvelle’s to find-"

His ears hurt, his stomach churned, his chest ached, he was wet, he was dirty and he just wanted to stop talking about this. “I already found him!” he shouted suddenly. His mind screamed at him that he was about to ruin everything, but he just did not have the energy to care anymore. Everything hurt, everything was wet, even his cheeks were wet, streams of tears bursting from his blue eyes, and he just wanted _to stop talking about this!_ “He’s just not an alpha, okay?”

Sam’s whole body stilled. He did not even blink.

Castiel shook his head angrily. “The wolf I want is an omega too. And he wants an alpha’s bond. And even if he didn’t…I’m not even a real Winchester. I’m not anything. You bark at me all the time about Mary being my mother, and she’s just not! I don’t have family! I have a pack that I want to devote everything I have to, because this pack gave me everything I have when it didn’t throw me away as a mongrel. Mary has been nothing but good to me, kind to me, my whole life. I’m grateful for everything she’s ever done for me. But she isn’t my mother. She saved me because she’s an amazing, strong, wonderful wolf, not because I was worth saving! I will always be grateful, and I will always try to do right by her, but the truth is, Sam, I’m smart and that’s it. All I am is smart. It’s all I can offer, all I can offer to the pack or to you. So I’m going to be the pack’s scribe, and I’m going to be grateful for it, and I’m never, ever going to ask for more. This pack owes me nothing, Sam. Certainly not the bond of its most precious omega.” He stumbled to his feet. “I’ll get my medicine later. I’ve got work I should be doing. Fenris, Sam, just do what’s best for you!”

With that, he ran, tears blinding him, sobs blocking his nose, and his ears warping every sound around him. It was a terrifying sprint into blurry darkness, rain pounding down on his head, and he rubbed at his eyes to clear them. He tripped past the guard stands, into the trees beyond the camp. He only stopped running when the sounds of the woods were more prominent in the night than sounds of the pack activity. He dropped to the ground then and let out a wounded howl to release the horrible, torturous tension in his chest. He did not even have the energy to shift into his wolf when he collapsed and curled into himself. He lay there, shaking, at the base of the large trees, soaked through to the bone, and cried.

Only minutes passed before another wolf came upon him. He should have heard or smelled him coming, but being sick left a shifter vulnerable in that way. So he startled badly when Dean’s gray wolf appeared over him.

“Fenris Lycan, Dean, get away from me!” he yelped, struggling to sit upright. “You’re covered in-covered in mud and…” The sobs took him over again. He had never been so wholly humiliated in his life.

The green eyes watched him sadly, and the wolf put his nose into Castiel’s neck. When it became obvious Castiel was not going to move or speak, Dean shifted to pull him into his arms. “Okay, little brother. Okay,” he soothed, laying the dark head against his bare chest.

“I can’t. Dean, I can’t. I’m going to ask…to ask Bobby to send me to…to Harvelle or someplace. I’m so sorry. I just can’t.”

“Can’t what, little brother?”

Without his consent, another desperate howl pressed out of his chest and forced itself from his mouth.

Dean cringed, holding him tighter. “Cas, you’re breaking my heart, man. You gotta stop. What is it? Why am I seeing you race out of the camp like that, in the rain, when I can smell how sick you are? I can feel how high your fever is. What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you at the med tent?”

“It’s all going to be ruined. Everything. He asked me about Benny again, and I don’t know…Between my ears hurting so bad and my temper being so awful today, I just let it all out. Told Sam why I can’t be the one to…to help him make his decision.”

“You told him you wanted his bond.”

The omega nodded miserably and buried his face into Dean’s warm chest.

“Okay, little brother. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

“You don’t understand. You’ve never…Even you think Benny is better for him! He’s…” His voice was coated in resentment now, in self-loathing and humiliation. “He’s your best friend, Dean. He’s the strongest alpha you’ve got, and it…it makes sense you would want him for Sam. He’s a good wolf, Dean.”

Dean pushed his shoulders out to look at his eyes, but Castiel closed them. He just could not stand to see Dean’s face right now. It was bad enough to be taking comfort from him. “You think Benny is my best friend.”

“Of course he is! He’s more of a brother to you than I’ve ever been! He even calls you that! It’s fine, Dean, of course it is. Just…just let me sit and think. Go back to the camp. I promise to pull myself together. I won’t make another scene. I don’t mean to embarrass you.” He made himself look into Dean’s face as he said the last words, because Dean deserved better.

The green eyes blinked very slowly. “Cas, I think Benny is one of the best wolves I’ve ever met.”

A pained smile pushed itself upon his lips. “See? Me too. A great match for Sam.”

“You are the best match for Sam, Cas. Why do you think every time Sam comes to me and asks my opinion, I send him to you?”

“Because you promised me you would give me my chance, and you are too good a wolf to go back on your word. But, Dean, you don’t have to, okay? Just tell Sam you think Benny is the best choice for him. Or one of a dozen of the other alphas who would do anything to claim him. Pick your favorite, if it isn’t Benny. I promise I’ll never complain. I swear I’ll never ask for anything. Do what’s best for Sam. That’s all that matters.”

Dean gripped his shoulders tight in his strong hands. “Castiel. Stop. I’m doing what’s best for Sam, and even more important, I’m doing what Sam truly wants. If he wanted Benny, really wanted Benny, he would have said yes already. He’s holding out for you, Cas. And you were going to screw that up by pretending you don’t want him? Now he knows you do! There’s no way he’s going to choose anyone else now. Cas, little brother, you are everything Sammy has ever wanted.”

Perhaps Dean was right that he was feverish. Nothing he was saying made any sense to Castiel.

“When you first told me you wanted to be Sam’s omega, I thought it was ridiculous. But I’ve watched you two since then, and it’s the only thing that I can even imagine now! He’s so content when he’s with you, Cas. He’s happier arguing with you than hunting with me, and he loves hunting with me. Benny would take good care of him, there’s no doubt in my mind. But he doesn’t need a wolf to take care of him, Cas. He needs the wolf he loves, and that’s you. My mom and I have talked about it for months. Every time I bring up taking a mate, she asks me why you and Sam haven’t bonded yet.”

Suddenly, all the muscle tension in Castiel’s body broke down, and he found that Dean was holding him up entirely. “Mary? Mary said…”

“Mom can’t understand why you haven’t bonded with Sam. She worries that it has something to do with the way she always seems to make you nervous. She’s even suggested that she go with Bobby the next time he visits one of the other packs, so you two have some time and space to yourselves without her to-"

“Mary wants…Mary thinks Sam should…I don’t understand.”

Dean sighed. He pulled Castiel back to his chest and held him as he trembled. “Little brother, you are the smartest wolf in the pack. Stop being stupid.”

A giddy warmth flowed through him then, and he found himself laughing very quietly. “Sam said the exact same thing earlier.”

“See? It’s two against one, and for once I’m not the one being ganged up on.”

Castiel chuckled happily. “Dean, if you’re not being sincere about any of this, please tell me now. If you’re just trying to make me come in out of the rain, because you’re my alpha by default and that’s what you’re supposed to do when a stupid omega gets sick-"

“Cas, you want Sam. Sam wants you. Mom wants you two together and happy. I’ll break the news to Benny and help him through it. Bobby says it’s all right. Is there really anything else that matters?”

“Sam is all that matters. He’s all that has ever mattered.”

Dean snorted at him. “And yes, I’m your alpha by default, and I’m telling you to get your tail back to the med tent. You’re not much use to me or my brother if you die out here. Shift and go, or I’ll be forced to embarrass you by throwing you over my shoulder.”

Castiel sniffed and breathed out a laugh. Before shifting he hugged Dean tightly. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you and Mary…that you’re not…”

“That we love you and support you making Sammy happy? Yeah. Sure. You’re welcome. Now go.”

He smiled and shifted down. He grabbed his clothes in his teeth and tore off back toward the sanitary tent.

***

“You need to take another round of antibiotic.”

“I don’t want to.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Fenris, you’re such a freaking pup. Just take it.”

“It tastes like chemicals.”

“They offered to give it to you in a needle.”

“No, that was the stuff to make me sleep. This I’ve got to swallow.”

The larger wolf strode toward the bedroll with purpose. “I’m glad you agree. Open your damn mouth.”

“I can do it myself-"

Sam took far more pleasure out of watching Castiel cough down his medication than he probably should have. “There. See? Not so bad.”

“It’s horrible,” Castiel whined.

“Only a few more days, Cas,” he sighed. He sat on the edge of the bedroll and put his nose into Castiel’s throat. “You smell like you feel better.”

The wolf he had bonded to him three days ago ran his fingers through his hair gently. “I feel amazing,” Castiel whispered. “I will never feel anything other than amazing again.”

It felt good to have this touch. He and Castiel had never been shy about contact, but this felt so right. “You know I love you, Cas?”

“I do now.”

Sam smiled, and curled up into the warmth of Castiel’s embrace. “I always have, you know.”

He felt Castiel sigh happily.


End file.
